Trailer for the short film "Peace" starring Kurtwood Smith and Nancy Lenehan. "Peace" is a brutal comedy about one man's struggle to preserve his sanity after retirement forces him to stay home with his doting wife. Directed by Mike Doto. Visit www.seasidepictures.com for a link to download the film on iTunes. [less]

Trailer for the short film "Peace" starring Kurtwood Smith and Nancy Lenehan. "Peace" is a brutal comedy about one man's struggle to preserve his sanity after retirement forces him to stay home with h [more]

Kurtwood has been building a sort of type-casting for himself as the put-upon/slow burn/potential violence guy. Most people recognize him from Robocop and that 70's show. He's always interesting to watch, but more so when he's playing against type, much the way Gleason's Ralph Kramden becomes more interesting when he steps away from the bluster, and lets his inner emotional core and moral center get exposed, just a little bit.

What I think about using him in a film like this is: is the story good enough structurally to be told successfully, even if you didn't have the marketability of Smith in the lead role? Like John Cleese in "Clockwise", the story hinges on what personal growth or self-revelation or change happens to the character at war with his own nature, more than on the immediate comic question of "just when will he finally lose it, what is the final provoking straw going to be?"

What I think a good trailer for this sort of genre should do is lay out the comic premise in easy to grasp terms, but also suggest the question about if the protagonist is going to achieve something more or not. I think you need both steps in there, or the promo feels unfinished, like a short skit versus a complete play. This is a great effort and will probably succeed with or without my input, but if you're looking for a way to help it over the top, that's my suggestion.

Kurtwood Smith is an interesting actor to watch, and the situational humor shows through, and I want to watch it for that alone. But this is a review of the trailer and I need to say that a bit more could be suggested about the plot. Is there something he's trying to do to run away, or overcome his retirement crisis outside of the house or is the whole thing taking place at home? Looks fun, but could use a bit more of a suggestive reveal...